I am sure everyone who has seen and read the news reports about the extraordinary case of the Austrian women Elisabeth Fritzl has been as shocked as I have by the story.
My heart goes out to her and other victims of this case, and to the people of Amstetten, who have to come to terms with the fact that this terrible business was going on for so many years without anyone having any idea about it.
I doubt there is anyone reading this who isn't aware of the case. This poor woman was kept in a cellar by her father for 24 years. The man's wife appears to have been completely unaware of this, having been told that Elisabeth had run away and joined a cult. The abuse involved her giving birth to six of his children, three of whom had never seen daylight until last week. It is a story so horrific it is barely believable.
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Thanks to the way in which the media is now a 24-hour, seven days a week global business, there can be few people on the planet who haven't heard about these events since they were revealed last week. I met someone who has just returned from a holiday in Barbados - lucky man - where it was the talk of the bars and beaches.
I suppose that is a reflection on the way the world has changed. The revolution in communications, with the internet, text messages, cable and satellite television, means that within minutes of a story like the Amstetten case "breaking" it is beamed to every corner of the globe.
What a contrast with the dark secrecy with which Josef Fritzl appears to have been able to control his family for so many years.
One can understand why the mayor of the town said, at a candlelit vigil for Elisabeth attended by several hundred people, that he wants to "show that Amstetten is not a town for criminals".
I am sure that he and the people of the town will succeed.
Places affected by other dreadful crimes, Dunblane or Hungerford for instance, do find a way to move forward - the memory does not fade, those adversely affected are always remembered, but evil is not allowed to overcome.
Quite rightly in cases such as that in Amstetten, people ask themselves and the authorities how it is that such events are able to take place. Could more have been done to prevent this kind of horrific case?
I am sure there will be a thorough inquiry in case there were warning signs which the authorities might have picked up, or might have missed, or whether there was action they should have taken.
Of course, as with all such appalling crimes it is important for the authorities to learn lessons from this case.
But we must also face an unpleasant truth: that while such crimes are incredibly rare, there are some members of the human race who have the most terrible capacity for evil.
It is a sad reality, though we can take comfort from the enduring truth that while such evil is undeniable, it is always outweighed by the strength of human good.
Posted by: mistaken, blackburn on 5:26pm Sat 3 May 08
pity he could'nt do something for the people here,he is a fine one to talk of evil doings,he is a waste of time, pity jack straw was'nt put in a celler for 24yrs, then we would'nt have to put up with his crap year after year.
pity he could'nt do something for the people here,he is a fine one to talk of evil doings,he is a waste of time, pity jack straw was'nt put in a celler for 24yrs, then we would'nt have to put up with his crap year after year.
Posted by: Woo, Not in Amstetten on 10:29am Tue 6 May 08
Well obviously good does not outweigh evil- the only reason that they were discovered was because the daughter Kerstin became seriously ill. Otherwise they could have been in there for (more) years. Yes everyone can say 'oh we're really sorry we didn't know about this' but what consolation is that for elisabeth and her family. Maybe if people did actually give a s*** about others then she could have been rescued much much earlier. And that person who knew about her being raped - well he's such an upstanding member of the community isn't he? A bit like that 'upstanding' Josef Fritzl
Well obviously good does not outweigh evil- the only reason that they were discovered was because the daughter Kerstin became seriously ill. Otherwise they could have been in there for (more) years. Yes everyone can say 'oh we're really sorry we didn't know about this' but what consolation is that for elisabeth and her family. Maybe if people did actually give a s*** about others then she could have been rescued much much earlier. And that person who knew about her being raped - well he's such an upstanding member of the community isn't he? A bit like that 'upstanding' Josef Fritzl
Posted by: Nostradamos, Blackburn on 10:35am Wed 7 May 08
I hope that in this case good does will overcome evil,joseph lawyer is claiming that joseph is insane and should not be tried but simply sanctioned,i am not one for witch hunts or hanging parties,but surely he cant go unpunished if only to be shown as a deterrent to other would be insane fathers,i would go along with the insane bit because no normal person would even think of doing such a thing,i reckon the Thialand involvement does point to his sexual needs.
If i was the Mayor of this town or even in the Austrian government i would be demanding that we all,yes everyone in Austria vollenteered to show the police through there homes(a massive job i know,but if it clears the air why not?) just to satisfy themselves and the world that there will not be anymore of these tragedies lurking in the wings.
I hope that in this case good does will overcome evil,joseph lawyer is claiming that joseph is insane and should not be tried but simply sanctioned,i am not one for witch hunts or hanging parties,but surely he cant go unpunished if only to be shown as a deterrent to other would be insane fathers,i would go along with the insane bit because no normal person would even think of doing such a thing,i reckon the Thialand involvement does point to his sexual needs.
If i was the Mayor of this town or even in the Austrian government i would be demanding that we all,yes everyone in Austria vollenteered to show the police through there homes(a massive job i know,but if it clears the air why not?) just to satisfy themselves and the world that there will not be anymore of these tragedies lurking in the wings.
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